Jazz Week
The Song of the Day is:
Keith Jarrett – “Part II c”
From the album The Köln Concert (1975)
Most people would expect a lot of improvisation in jazz, but rarely would that expectation be so thoroughly met than with the piano playing of Keith Jarrett. Jarrett will perform full concerts with no music or program prepared, he often prefers music to be in the moment. Jarrett has an almost unimaginable musical ability, which included perfect pitch and proficiency (if not mastery) of a wide array of instruments. Jarrett does not limit himself to free-form jazz, but he certainly made a name for himself playing it. In fact he is a highly accomplished classical musician, and is well versed in many folk music styles from across the globe. He also, unlike this recording, does work well in combos and has worked on a number of occasions with drummer Jack DeJohnnette. As a journeyman jazz musician, he worked in the bands of Miles Davis, Charles Lloyd and Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, but while still in his early twenties he lead his own combos. One takeaway from his time with Miles Davis was that he did not care for playing on organs or keyboards any longer, and has remained fixed on traditional piano, and the occasional clavichord. His Köln (as in Cologne, Germany) concert recordings have achieved a legendary status, and remain the highest selling solo piano album of all time. Much of the album is heavy on free-form improvisation, but the fourth part of the program, “Part II c”, is known for its emphasis on fluid melody. This is just one facet of Jarrett’s jazz style, as he is known to play standards and self-penned compositions as well. “Part II c”, an encore piece, has the informal title of “Memories of Tomorrow”, which I highly doubt was a title conceived of by the artist. This song has been performed many times by other artists. In fact, the first time I heard it, it was performed at a college recital. The performer was a young Asian man with an afro, im not sure what I expected him to play at that piano, but from the first few notes, I was taken in by the song’s beauty. I had an immediate sense of flowing water when I heard him play it, the beautiful tones of the piano just washed over me. I immediately sought out the music of Keith Jarrett following that day (I was quite fortunate to be able to find a physical disc of The Köln Concert at the local Circuit City). Now in his seventies, Keith Jarrett still performs, and is one of the most respected jazz musician and piano player alive.
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*Unfortunately there seems to be restrictions from posting actual performance by Keith Jarrett, however there are versions performed by independent musicians that I will attach, as well as a different performance by Jarrett.
Hear Today, Grown Tomorrow 